Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of inputting light into an optical waveguide.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as a small high-sensitivity sensor, a sensor has been proposed which includes a planar polymer optical waveguide, and optionally includes a sensing film reacting with a predetermined substance, a metal thin-film, and the like, for performing various chemical analyses and/or biochemical analyses through use of an evanescent wave generated on a surface of the polymer optical waveguide (for example, International Patent WO2008/75578 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2000-19100 and 2007-263736).
However, there is an increasing demand for detection of a minute change and/or a trace amount of a component with a small sample amount, and thus further enhancement of detection sensitivity is also being demanded in analysis using the above-mentioned sensor. In particular, from a viewpoint of a signal/noise (S/N) ratio, it is important to enhance a signal.